hot fuzz

this is a fish-out-of-water, gorey, witty, stylish, thriller-comedy from the people who brought you Shaun of the Dead, and it is just as funny and ridiculous. it's got a great cast and excellent movie references. watch it - you'll laugh. it also features adorable homoerotic (sub)text.

are we done yet?

this movie was far more amusing than I thought it would be, mostly thanks to John C. McGinley, who looked really annoying in the previews but was actually pretty funny as a guru and master of all things from the healing power of goju berries to dry rot. Ice Cube is talented, and provides a good foil to McGinley's antics, with some physical comedy thrown in for good measure. I like Nia Long, but she brings nothing to the role of loving wife and mom. overall, a decent airplane movie.

fido

I saw this shiny zombie movie at the new Parkway theatre in El Cerrito. this theatre is spiffy. it's smaller than the Parkway and of course much, much newer. the couches are a bit smaller too, but comfy, and there is an extra cafe off the entrance called the It Club. the marquee is glamorous, the decor is flashy, and the price was right - $3 each on a wednesday night. I didn't try the food. Fido looked absolutely gorgeous, but I didn't quite follow the point of the movie. are enslaved zombies supposed to evoke the old days of slavery and if so, is that funny? is it funny for a mom to kill small children? for a father not to realize his 6 month pregnant wife is pregnant? probably I just didn't get it.

talk to me

Kasi Lemmons has made a great movie (Eve's Bayou was also wonderful) about ex-con, political, D.C. DJ Petey Greene, starring the always brilliant Don Cheadle. it's a period piece so the hair and costumes are fabulous, and Cheadle steals every scene. Chiwetel Ejiofor also gives a nice, subtle performance. Taraji P. Henson is funny and it's nice to see Cedric and Mike Epps, although they don't do much. in a summer of mindless entertainment, this is definitely a bright spot, but it's only playing in a few spots, so go now before you miss it.

the last mimzy

this is a cute little sci fi movie about a stuffed bunny from the future that turns a little girl into a holy child and her brother into a boy genius with 20/20 vision. it all gets pretty silly when Homeland Security gets involved, but it's fairly entertaining, especially for an airplane movie.

after the wedding

this is a solid European drama, where seemingly happy families are transformed by secrets and lies. it's pretty good, if a little intense at times, and with too many shots of people's eyes, but some really nice footage of India. Mads Mikkelson is hot in a brooding, Danish kind of way.

veronica mars

season 1 of this show about a cute, sarcastic teen detective pulls you in with it's overarching mystery set against stand-alone mini-mysteries in each episode. you really want to know who did it, and the characters are reasonably developed and interesting. unfortunately, it's all downhill from there. the second season mystery is depressing at best, confusing at worst. by the third season, there are a few little murders, but no cohesive season-long tale, and the show ends abruptly without resolution - presumably because it got pulled off the air withouth giving the writers time to resolve the story lines? whatever the reason, it's too bad this initiallly entertaining show didn't improve with age. I'm not sorry I watched it, I'm just sorry it wasn't a little better.

sicko

I love Michael Moore! he takes what everyone should know but somehow doesn't and puts it out on the screen for all to see. his documentary is like one very well-crafted argument for socialized medicine, with a little humor and outrage thrown in for good measure. as with all his work, I hope this one reaches the people who need to see it, and doesn't just vindicate the already-converted. the fact that it's playing in the mall gives me some hope. anyway, by all means, go and enjoy this film and carry its message to others, before you move to Europe. also - this movie saved me $250 by inspiring me to go to my doctor and ask her to prescribe me a test that my insurance would cover instead of the one I was supposed to pay for myself the next day. pretty good return on my $6.50 ticket price.

transformers

this movie has all the essential components of a summer blockbuster - overly long action sequences, no character development, and a plot that doesn't make sense. it's basically a string of scenes put together that are intended to entertain, and most of them do. but others, well - see above. it's fun to see familiar faces in stock roles, but only Bernie Mac stands out by bringing some fleeting moments of humor to the film. the next best actor is the cute little robot/boom box.

harry potter order of the phoenix part 1

I was comfortably watching this dull but passable film when suddenly, with an hour left to go, it stopped abruptly. I hung around for 20 minutes waiting for it to start back up, until I discovered that the power had gone out in the entire neighborhood. so now I have a pass to go back and watch it again. will I do it? maybe to see what happens to my favorite new character, Luna Lovegood, played by Evanna Lynch. but hey, Imelda Staunton - you're usually such a good actor, please don't try to do children's comedy again - I winced every time you came on screen.

pride

I thought it would be almost impossible to mess up a movie starring Terrence Howard and Bernie Mac, but this one starts out really interesting and plunges into cheesy cliche pretty quickly. the kids were too 70s wholesome for the ghetto, the worst the evil drug dealer could do was pee in the pool, and there wasn't enough of either character development or swimming scenes to satisfy anyone. but I still kind of liked it.

six feet under revisited

I gave up on this show temporarily because I couldn't bear the plotline about David's abduction, but I finally watched the last season this week, and the series finale contained the most powerful and devastating ten minutes I've ever seen on television. I cried throughout it then was up all night thinking and half-dreaming about it. I won't be giving anything away by telling you that it proceeds into the future, showing all the significant events in the lives of, and the deaths of, every single main character from the show. these ten minutes alone make it worth it to start watching the show, from the pilot episode, right now, if you haven't done so already.

the astronaut farmer

I had somewhat high hopes for this movie, which features some big names and some indie director/writers, but they were dashed relatively quickly. Billy Bob Thornton plays a farmer who builds his own rocket then ignores official denial of his request to launch it into space. the justification for his decision was to prove to his children that you can and should pursue your dreams - even if they endanger your life and the lives of others, and violate air safety regulations. I also most of My Dog Skip, but had to stop watching it because of its 50s sensibility, which I find superficial and very un-charming. although I liked Kevin Bacon as a mean dad. both movies compliments of Continental.

evening

I went into this one thinking it would be awful and, while it wasn't good, I did manage to enjoy bits and pieces of it. Vanessa Redgrave is fantastic, and I love stories about old women. Clare Danes is pretty, Patrick Wilson is pretty, Toni Collette is quirky, and Meryl Streep has a nice little cameo. the story is predictable and insubstantial, with silly hallucinations and things thrown in for good measure. not a terrible way to spend a Thursday afternoon.

black snake moan

the movie strikes a great balance between complete camp and actual drama. Cristina Ricci is cute, but Samual Jackson is truly excellent as a wronged, evangelical, honest bluesman. I liked this a lot better than Hustle and Flow.